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Blank Rome Pledges Support of the American Bar Association’s Well-Being Campaign

November 26, 2018

As a signatory, the Firm continues its deep commitment to the ongoing health and wellness of its attorneys and professional staff, as well as the legal industry at large.

Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that the Firm has joined the inaugural class of signatories to the American Bar Association’s (“ABA”) newly-launched Well-Being Pledge & Campaign, aimed at improving the substance use and mental health landscape of the legal profession.

Organized by the ABA Working Group to Advance Well-Being in the Legal Profession, the innovative campaign is designed to support lawyer well-being and address the profession’s troubling rates of alcohol and other substance-use disorders, as well as mental health issues. Based on a framework developed by working group member Patrick Krill, the campaign’s goals are to raise awareness, facilitate a reduction in the incidence of problematic substance-use and mental health distress, and improve lawyer well-being. From education and policies to culture, the seven-point pledge identified in the campaign reflects the core areas on which firms should focus and the concrete steps they should take as they seek to achieve those goals.

“Blank Rome is honored to support ABA’s Well-Being Pledge & Campaign, and to join the inaugural class of signatories to this important initiative,” said Julie Dressing, Chief Human Resources Officer at Blank Rome. “Now more than ever, in a fast-paced global industry with a continuously evolving landscape, we need to be aware of the impact of mental health and substance abuse on professional careers and personal lives. Through this campaign as well as our Firm’s internal resources and offerings, Blank Rome is committed to proactively advancing health and wellness throughout our Firm and the legal industry at large.”

For more information, please read Law360’s coverage on the pledge, copied in part below.

How a Mental Health Pledge Is Pushing BigLaw to Do Better

There has been a flurry of activity among large law firms over the past few months promoting mental health and wellness among attorneys and staff, a change that comes as more firms sign on to a pledge to tackle the topic.

A recent push by the American Bar Association to place a renewed focus on improving lawyer mental health and well-being across the industry appears to be catching on. As of mid-November, nearly 40 law firms and one in-house legal department have signed a pledge the organization launched earlier this year, in which signatories promise to recognize that lawyers face increased rates of substance abuse and mental health problems and to adopt a specific plan of action laid out by the ABA to begin tackling the problem.

And although the pledge is still fairly new — it was launched Sept. 10 — it appears to have already prompted action among the nation’s legal employers.

The Law Firms That Have Signed On

As of Nov. 21, 38 law firms and one in-house legal department, 3M, had signed onto the ABA's well-being pledge, which was launched in September.

Akerman

Hogan Lovells

Orrick

Akin Gump

Honigman Miller

Perkins Coie

Bass Berry

Jackson Lewis

Pillsbury Winthrop

Blank Rome

Katten Muchin

Reed Smith

Cooley

Latham

Schiff Hardin

Corette Black

Lewis Thomason

Seyfarth Shaw

Cozen O'Connor

McDermott Will

Sheppard Mullin

Dorsey & Whitney

Morgan Lewis

Sidley Austin

Drost Kivlahan

Nexsen Pruet

Skadden

Duane Morris

Nixon Peabody

Snell & Wilmer

Faegre

Ogletree

Thompson & Knight

Goodwin

O'Melveny

Wiley Rein

Heiting & Irwin

Wilson Sonsini

Some examples of new initiatives set in motion among firms signing the pledge include educational programs on substance abuse, meditation and other classes to promote mental health, the inclusion of non-alcoholic mixed drinks at firm functions and in-office massages.

Leaders at the firms that have signed say having a pledge that pulls in participation across the industry is useful to reaching the goal of improving attorney well-being because it allows firms to share ideas and collaborate on their efforts in a way that would not have been possible otherwise.